בס”ד
Parashat Lech Lecha (You Go) Genesis 12:1-17:27
Haftarah: Isaiah 40:27-41:16
In this week’s Torah portion, one learns an important lesson about timing. So many things are dependent upon the proper timing. I will let you in on a secret, your timing is never HaShem’s timing and His timing is always the proper timing. Most of the time people are impatient. It is simply hard for one to wait and trust HaShem to fulfill His word in His time.
Abraham was promised to be the father of a great nation and here he was an elderly man and he had not one child. When it was told to him that he would have a son, his wife Sarah doubted G-d’s ability to keep His word and she suggested that Abraham lay with her handmaiden Hagar to have a son. In a moment of faithlessness, Abraham agreed and when he was 86 years old Ishmael was born. It was not for another 13 years that HaShem would appear again to Abraham to announce that the son of promise would be born. Abraham, like Sarah, doubted G-d and threw himself upon the ground and laughed at G-d’s word to him (See Genesis 17:17).
The point which I want you to see is the connection between impatience and faithlessness. It is hard to wait for the things that G-d has promised. Satan knows this and he often places before us a counterfeit to that which HaShem has promised. When we fail to wait for G-d to fulfill His word in the manner He said, Satan’s counterfeit can appear to us as the answer.
Abraham needed to wait an additional 15 years (approximately) for G-d to move and keep His word to him. Fifteen years can seem like a great deal of time to wait, but compromising with Satan’s substitute, in the end will cause much more difficulties for the believer. The word “wait” occurs in the Bible nearly 100 times. A wise thing for each of us to do is to find these places using a concordance and begin reading these verses. In fact, not only the verses but the passage in which they are found. Study these places and even memorize a few of them which speak to you personally. In doing so, you will find that you will grow in learning patience. The result of this will be that HaShem will begin using you more and more in His purposes. Patience is an important spiritual attribute that enables the believer to serve Yeshua more effectively.
My favorite verse that teachings about patience is,
“And now what have I hoped, Adonai my hope is to You” Psalm 39:7
Shabbat Shalom
One Comment on “Parashat Lech Lecha (You Go) Genesis 12:1-17:27”
Hello Rabbi Baruch,
Thank your for this week’s Parashat lesson. I found out ten years ago, that my mother’s family were Jewish. As a young girl I was raised no religion (my father was Catholic turned atheist and my mother didn’t believe in religion) so wasn’t aware of G-D. I do remember in retrospect, the candle lighting on Friday night by my grandmother and do remember the Menorah, which disappeared when I asked about it. When I was twelve, my father was introduced to a Baptist and “got saved.” I accepted Yeshua as my Savior and thus, began my search for who I am today. I wasn’t happy in the Baptist church – always questioned the Shabbat and why we didn’t keep Torah with the proverbial answer, “Yeshua did away with the Law.”
I prayed diligently every day to be shown the TRUTH and finally after doing a six month research on just keeping the Shabbat, realized Matthew 5:17 said it ALL! Shortly after this, I found out at the age of 40, I was Jewish through my mother. I must say I feel liberated in knowing the truth.
My question to you is with all the commentaries and lexicons and dictionaries…what is a good way to do this study of this week’s Parashat.? My all-time favorite psalm is Psalms 37!!! Especially, the verse regarding waiting on the L-RD. I would like to do this study on the word “WAIT” but would like to know what concordance to use that is faithful in helping me to understand patience so that I may apply it to my life in a way that G-D would be pleased to use me in His service. I realize that G-D reveals Himself to us through ways we sometimes don’t understand, but for me when understanding G-D’s Word I want to be in a place that doesn’t lead me astray as before when I was younger.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful teaching you have given me!! Every Shabbat it is a JOY to hear you speak and teach and I feel so at home! Torah class with Mr. Bradford is beyond words. I can’t begin to explain it! It’s like being really truly lost and finding out you really belong somewhere and now found it!
Sincerely,
Karen 🙂